Hello,I'm a 16 year old Vajrayana Buddhist in the Gelugpa sect from Green Bay, Wisconsin. I have been self teaching myself for a while now and I feel that having a guru to help me along would be a huge help. So I am asking if there is a guru out there that is willing to teach me I'd very much appreciate it.

Jordan.Kuemmel wrote:Hello,I'm a 16 year old Vajrayana Buddhist in the Gelugpa sect from Green Bay, Wisconsin. I have been self teaching myself for a while now and I feel that having a guru to help me along would be a huge help. So I am asking if there is a guru out there that is willing to teach me I'd very much appreciate it.

Profile Picture: "The Foaming Monk"The Chinese characters are Fo (buddha) and Ming (bright). The image is of a student of Buddhism, who, imagining himself to be a monk, and not understanding the true meaning of the words takes the sound of the words literally. Likewise, People on web forums sometime seem to be foaming at the mouth. Original painting by P.Volker /used by permission.

Jordan.Kuemmel wrote:Hello,I'm a 16 year old Vajrayana Buddhist in the Gelugpa sect from Green Bay, Wisconsin. I have been self teaching myself for a while now and I feel that having a guru to help me along would be a huge help. So I am asking if there is a guru out there that is willing to teach me I'd very much appreciate it.

*Edit: Email address removed.

Have you ever had a teacher?Have you already chosen a sect without having met a teacher?

Jordan.Kuemmel wrote:Hello,I'm a 16 year old Vajrayana Buddhist in the Gelugpa sect from Green Bay, Wisconsin. I have been self teaching myself for a while now and I feel that having a guru to help me along would be a huge help. So I am asking if there is a guru out there that is willing to teach me I'd very much appreciate it.

*Edit: Email address removed.

Have you ever had a teacher?Have you already chosen a sect without having met a teacher?

I have never had a teacher, I was recommended into Gelugpa by my uncle who had done alot of Buddhist studies back in the day. I'm open to any sect of Vajrayana, I just need a teacher as I said

Jordan.Kuemmel wrote:I have never had a teacher, I was recommended into Gelugpa by my uncle who had done alot of Buddhist studies back in the day. I'm open to any sect of Vajrayana, I just need a teacher as I said

Jordan.Kuemmel wrote: I have been there, a beautiful place, but very far away from me (3.5 hour drive)

That's FUNNY!!!!Well, I hope you get your drivers license soon then.Not too long ago, if you wanted to find a teacher you had to climb up some snow covered mountain in the Himalayas. And you had to speak Tibetan. And you had to hope the teacher would accept you as a student.I wish my teacher was only 3.5 hours away!!!Good luck!

Profile Picture: "The Foaming Monk"The Chinese characters are Fo (buddha) and Ming (bright). The image is of a student of Buddhism, who, imagining himself to be a monk, and not understanding the true meaning of the words takes the sound of the words literally. Likewise, People on web forums sometime seem to be foaming at the mouth. Original painting by P.Volker /used by permission.

Jordan.Kuemmel wrote: I have been there, a beautiful place, but very far away from me (3.5 hour drive)

That's FUNNY!!!!Well, I hope you get your drivers license soon then.Not too long ago, if you wanted to find a teacher you had to climb up some snow covered mountain in the Himalayas. And you had to speak Tibetan. And you had to hope the teacher would accept you as a student.I wish my teacher was only 3.5 hours away!!!Good luck!

I'm getting my drivers liscense in about 22 days, once I get that it will be much easier to make the trip along with one of my friends that is also searching for a guru. Your help is appreciated, I tend to forget how hard it was for people back then. I guess I'm a classic American, haha. I try to stray away from that mindset.

Sounds like you have the right attitude. I don't have much more advice to offer beyond what you've already heard (take your time, stay positive, listen to advice, keep some perspective). I just want to encourage you in practice, to take your time in committing to a teacher, and to keep an open mind and a sense of humor. I was about your age when I became interested in Dharma myself. It's a good ride, even for a slow learner and mistake-maker like me.

All the best to you.

Jikan

Need help getting on retreat? Want to support others in practice? Pay the Dana for Dharma forum a visit...

Jordan.Kuemmel wrote: I have been there, a beautiful place, but very far away from me (3.5 hour drive)

That's FUNNY!!!!Well, I hope you get your drivers license soon then.Not too long ago, if you wanted to find a teacher you had to climb up some snow covered mountain in the Himalayas. And you had to speak Tibetan. And you had to hope the teacher would accept you as a student.I wish my teacher was only 3.5 hours away!!!Good luck!

Sounds like you have the right attitude. I don't have much more advice to offer beyond what you've already heard (take your time, stay positive, listen to advice, keep some perspective). I just want to encourage you in practice, to take your time in committing to a teacher, and to keep an open mind and a sense of humor. I was about your age when I became interested in Dharma myself. It's a good ride, even for a slow learner and mistake-maker like me.

All the best to you.

Jikan

Hello Jikan,Thank you very much for the well wishings, all the best to you as well. I am a teenage American so I tend to be a bit impatient, but I am very attentive to advice. Tashi Delek.

You might be interested in checking out an excellent authentic Gelug teacher - Gelek Rimpoche - who teaches in Ann Arbor Michigan and at other locations. Some teachings are available online. His website is jewelheart.org.Check out youtube for current teachings of Rimpoche's on Tibetan Buddhism.

I appreciate that you are looking for a Guru. You are very fortunate to be seeking spirituality so young and we are all very fortunate because we have the Internet and some Lamas have already embraced it as a platform to teach. Here's a very good teaching on a relevant topic of Guru Devotion by Tsem Rinpoche.